INTRODUCTION Early diagnosis of symptoms related to psychotic disorders causes hyper responsiveness, recurrence reduction and quality of life improvement. The aim of this study was one-year follow-up of the clinical course and outcomes of hospitalized patients with first episode psychotic disorders and detection of factors affecting consequences. METHODS This longitudinal descriptive study wa...

OBJECTIVE The authors examined the duration of untreated psychosis, defined as the interval from first psychotic symptom to first psychiatric hospitalization, in a county-wide sample of first-admission inpatients who had received no previous antipsychotic medication. Differences between diagnostic groups in 24-month illness course and clinical outcomes as well as relationships between outcomes ...

BACKGROUND Most scales that assess the presence and severity of psychotic symptoms often measure a broad range of experiences and behaviours, something that restricts the detailed measurement of specific symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations. The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) is a clinical assessment tool that focuses on the detailed measurement of these core symptoms. The go...

Negative symptoms encompass diminution in emotional expression and motivation, some of which relate to human attributes that may not be accessible readily in animals. Additionally, their refractoriness to treatment precludes therapeutic validation of putative models. This review considers critically the application of mutant mouse models to the study of the pathobiology of negative symptoms. It...

The point of rarity in brain structure and function that separates the 2 major psychotic disorders--schizophrenia and bipolar disorder--is presently unknown. The aim of this study is to combine surface anatomical and functional imaging modalities to quantify the integrity of cortical connectivity in pursuit of the neural basis of the Kraepelinian "line of divide." We tested the hypothesis that ...

A case study of a 44-year-old woman who committed a mass murder is presented. Following a chronic course of psychotic deterioration, and a likely diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia that remained untreated, she returned to her workplace after 3 years from her termination and killed seven people and herself. Her history is reconstructed through investigation of primary and secondary source mater...

BACKGROUND The base rate of transition from subthreshold psychotic experiences (the exposure) to clinical psychotic disorder (the outcome) in unselected, representative and non-help-seeking population-based samples is unknown. METHOD A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted of representative, longitudinal population-based cohorts with baseline assessment of subthreshold psychotic e...

BACKGROUND Stimulants, such as methylphenidate, are among the most commonly used medications in children and adolescents. Psychotic symptoms have been reported as rare adverse reactions to stimulants but have not been systematically inquired about in most previous studies. Family history of mental illness may increase the vulnerability to drug-induced psychotic symptoms. We examined the associa...

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are distinguished primarily by course of illness and, consequently, share many similar symptoms cross-sectionally. This similarity presents a diagnostic challenge for clinicians, because accurate diagnosis often requires monitoring patients over time; however, treatment typically needs to be instituted quickly, further complicating this process. Conventional a...

OBJECTIVE To review the literature regarding the diagnosis of first episode psychosis in the context of emergency psychiatry. METHOD Review of empirical and review articles selected by electronic search in the database PubMed. RESULTS Specific features of emergency care--single, brief and cross section assessment, and with little information--may jeopardize the diagnostic process. These lim...